- Previous Article
- Next Article
- Table of Contents
Advanced Functional Materials, Vol.21, No.1, 191-198, 2011
Engineering a Robust, Versatile Amphiphilic Membrane Surface Through Forced Surface Segregation for Ultralow Flux-Decline
Unlike biofoulants/pollutants, oil foulants/pollutants are prone to coalesce, spread and migrate to form continuous fouling layer covering on the surfaces. Therefore, such kind of fouling can not be simply alleviated by hydrophilic modification with currently extensively used antifouling materials such as poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based or zwitterionic polymers etc. In the present study, an amphiphilic porous membrane surface, comprising hydrophilic fouling resistant domains and hydrophobic fouling release microdomains, is explored via a "forced surface segregation" approach. The resultant membranes exhibit both superior oil-fouling and bio-fouling resistant property: membrane fouling is exquisitely suppressed and the permeation flux-decline is decreased to an ultralow level. It can be envisaged that the present study may open a novel avenue to the design and construction of robust, versatile antifouling surfaces.